Disciple-Making Movement
Our vision is to challenge ordinary people to accept the simple, but radical, call to follow Jesus and to empower them to represent the love of Christ in their neighborhoods and relational networks. So what we need is a disciple-making movement in Clemmons that results in gospel saturation, where every man, woman, and child encounters clear and compelling gospel witness in their daily lives.
We believe that people will gain deep personal joy and meaning, relationships will be restored, and communities will begin to look more like the kingdom of God wherever this happens.
We believe that following Jesus in faith, obedience, and pattern of life is radical and countercultural in all times and places, but particularly so when a culture becomes deeply opposed to the ways of Jesus. We believe we live in such a time:
- the allure of wealth, comfort, and security
- the distractions of pervasive entertainment and extreme pace of life
- the cultural values of individualism, materialism, and secularization of life
We believe these elements of our culture make following the way of Jesus especially challenging in the modern post-industrial world and propose returning to the teaching of Jesus to see what he actually said, take him at his word, and obey him wherever it may lead us.
This must include…
- Self-denial and voluntary renunciation of ways of life that are hindrances to following Jesus.
- A love of God that embraces devotion to the ancient practices of extended and continual prayer, regular fasting, and meditation on Scripture.
- A love of neighbor that turns us outside of ourselves and toward those around us. This love includes a life of hospitality and personal involvement with those in the greatest need.
It is our goal for every neighborhood in Clemmons to be adopted by a disciple-maker. This would be a person (or family) who is a follower of Jesus willing to take responsibility for representing the love of Christ among the people who live and work alongside them.
We propose a simple and practical process for doing this work:
- Prayer: Compile the names of every family in your neighborhood and begin to systematically pray for them. Pray that God’s kingdom would come and his will would be done in your neighborhood.
- Hospitality: Begin inviting neighbors into your home and into your lives. Have them over for dinner. Have their kids play with your kids. Bring them into your lives.
- Invitation: Invite those with whom God gives you favor into your walk with Christ. That can mean praying with them, sharing the gospel with them, asking them to read Scripture together, or inviting them to go to church with you.
The church consists of the gatherings and shared lives of followers of Jesus. As disciples are made, lives become intertwined as we are made one in Christ. We are saved FROM our sin and shame and INTO a family where we belong.
This can happen in many settings and formats, including many wonderful traditional churches in our area that we can recommend to you. But we also provide resources for very simple, ancient, and grassroots ways of gathering as the church.
- Discovery Bible Study: we provide a format for new believers and explorers of the faith to gather in the simplest way possible. In these studies, people gather together, ideally in a neighborhood home, and explore the questions of who Jesus is and what it means to follow him. This involves prayer, a Scripture reading, and discussion questions, followed by each person making an “I will” statement for how they will live in obedience to the words of Jesus.
- House Church: We provide a process for establishing a neighborhood house church through the process of gathering, committing together as a group, and training and equipping teachers and leaders.